Results 1-20 of 9,647 for speaker:Margaret Beckett

Election of Speaker (22 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Mr. Williams, when the House was first broadcast, Mike Yarwood, the political impersonator, when asked for his reaction, said, "I hope I never have to face an audience like that." I am very conscious today of facing an electorate who know our strengths as well as we do and our weaknesses rather better. One of mine is a deep reluctance to answer only yes or no to a question that I think calls...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Housing Corporation: Public Relations (4 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: English Partnerships made no payments for public affairs work in the years 2005-06, 2006-07 or 2007-08. It is possible that some spend in relation to community consultation and engagement on specific projects may have involved public affairs firms, but it is not possible to separately identify these other than at disproportionate cost. The only public affairs firm used by the Housing...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Right to Buy Scheme (4 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: Figures for preserved right to buy (PRTB) sales are not available at individual local authority area. The following table shows the total number of PRTB sales by registered social landlords from 2000-01. Number of preserved right to buy sales, England Number of sales 2007-08 2,812 2006-07 3,910 2005-06 5,014 2004-05 7,331 2003-04 11,699 2002-03 8,858 ...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Social Rented Housing (4 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: The following table shows the number of homes built and acquired for social rent in each year from 1991-92. Figures for the supply of homes for social rent are not available prior to this time. England New Build Acquisitions Other Total for social rent 1991-92 21,770 3,940 — 25,710 1992-93 39,510 17,510 — 57,020 1993-94 40,270 8,670 — 48,940...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Social Rented Housing (4 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: The total number of section 9 consents granted in each of the last three years was as follows: Total granted 2006-07 1,463 2007-08 2,223 2008-09 2,025 Information about unsuccessful applications for section 9 consents was not collected in these years. Changes were made to the system for collating consents data in July 2008 and, as a result of these changes, the TSA will...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Home Information Packs (3 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to my reply given on 6 November 2008, Official Report, column 723W. Programme resources for 2011-12 have not yet been allocated.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Housing: Low Incomes (3 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: The MyChoice HomeBuy product was introduced, along with OwnHome (a similar product from different providers) at the beginning of the 2008 to 2011 National Affordable Housing programme, after a competition for new shared equity products. Both MyChoice HomeBuy and OwnHome are open market HomeBuy products. The likely level of demand for open market HomeBuy in the 2008 to 2011 programme was...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Housing: Low Incomes (3 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: We do not set a specific budget for the MyChoice HomeBuy product in advance, to allow flexibility within the Affordable Housing Programme. However, the HCA made up to £133 million available to MyChoice HomeBuy providers in 2008-09 of which provisional figures show that £115 million was spent by 31 March 2009. Funding for the scheme is reviewed on a regular basis within the context...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Housing: Low Incomes (3 Jun 2009)

Margaret Beckett: Applicants can, and usually do, apply for several HomeBuy schemes, not just MyChoice HomeBuy. A total of 53,919 applications were received for MyChoice HomeBuy, in the period from April 2008—when the scheme was launched—to the end of April 2009. During that time period, 29,148 applicants in total were approved to look for a property. Information on applications declined is not...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Regional spatial strategies have been published for all regions, with the exception of the south-west, where we expect to publish shortly, and the west midlands, which is currently holding an examination in public. All regional planning bodies have agreed timetables for further reviews, and I have put details in the Library.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: No, I think that would be a disastrous course of action. The Opposition have said a lot of sweeping things about there being no need for a regional tier of consideration or decision making, but one of the reasons this Government implemented such proposals is because of representations that we received from across the country, including from the business community in particular, about the gap...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: First, my hon. Friend is entirely right. I hope that everyone in the House recognises the tremendous pent-up demand that exists for new housing and the serious social and economic problems that would be caused if we could not do more to address it. I also entirely accept his other point, although he will know that this Government have a strong record of construction on brownfield sites. I...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: If the hon. Gentleman is referring, as I think he is, to the proposals currently before the House, may I inform him that what we are basically trying to do is streamline and simplify the system? He will have many opportunities to make his contribution on those issues as the Bill proceeds through the House. However, I am sure that he will know that there is a strong element of participation by...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: It is certainly our hope that people everywhere across the country will take account of that approach, which is obviously the most desirable from every point of view. My hon. Friend will appreciate that sometimes there are greater difficulties in finding suitable sites that meet those criteria, but the Government certainly retain that approach, and we will encourage local authorities to do so too.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Of course I accept that; I do not think that anyone would dispute it. I simply say to the hon. Gentleman that the reason that people should believe what we say about brownfield sites is that the Government have delivered—in fact, more than delivered—on our targets for brownfield sites. We have had many discussions in the House about the proposals for eco-towns, and he is correct...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: That is certainly not the case. I am sure that is not what the Prime Minister meant, not least because—as I reminded the Opposition a moment ago—there will be very strong local authority involvement and representation in the new bodies that will consider the proposals. They are, as I have said, elected.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I think that the hon. Lady is subtly trying to work round to the proposals that have been put forward by her party, in which, instead of having overall targets that recognise the substantial unmet housing demand identified a moment ago by my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping), we should somehow let a thousand flowers bloom and thereby allow local authorities to build up to...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Since the launch of the joint review of council housing finance with the Treasury in March 2008, we have received position papers from key organisations in the sector, approximately 45 written submissions in response to our call for evidence, papers from a number of housing experts and four petitions. We have also received direct representations in face-to-face meetings with housing...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I entirely share my hon. Friend's concern about the barriers that had been put in the way of local government's freedom to provide housing for its local communities by the Conservatives when they were last in government. I can assure him, however, that we are in the last stages of removing those barriers and that local authorities will be able to bid for grant. They will have the special...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: As I pointed out a moment ago to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor), we are removing the last of the barriers that obstruct local authorities. I share what I deduce to be the hon. Lady's hope, which I hope in turn is shared across the House, that local authorities of every political shade will take advantage of this opportunity to begin greater...